dpberr

Bradham excels when the front four pressure the quarterback. Since we're not doing that this season, he's not as effective as he was last year.

Blitzing. It's what all the historically great NFL defenses did no matter what era they played in. Rush the goddamn passer relentlessly. It's not that hard of a concept.

The Patriots have the best intelligence behind the coaches in the league. You see the coaches on the sidelines but there are men and women behind them fueling all of the scouting, stats, tendencies, etc not only before the game, but during it. It is very rare to see the Patriots not make adjustments. Last night, didn't the second half feel completely different from the first?

IMO, EJ wasn't terrible. The defense and the defensive coordinator on the other hand ARE terrible.

I think we will all look back after the season and see this as a poor decision. His kicks obviously masked a crap special teams unit.

This defense sucks. See quarterback...get quarterback is the only scheme the front four need. But...suppose that's not cute enough of a scheme for Ryan and Co.

I don't see the signing and TT's injury situation related whatsoever. As others have stated, he's a good scout team quarterback and has previous experience with the Bengals. That's why he's here.

She's "cute" to me. Not sexy. She's a little girl. I think you need age categories for this stuff. Women like Diane Lane never lose their sexiness. Some are really into Helen Mirren, Sandra Bullock, etc.

You wonder if the next episode will flip flop between time. By the time you hear the horn, the battle for Alexandria is already underway. (Wolves show up after Rick and the gang leave.) Not the greatest tactical move for the Wolves if the case, a siege in front, and two forces (one human, one walker) on the flanks.

The Bengals are good - 5 wins is nothing to take lightly. That being said, the Seahawks were the first legitimate defense they saw all year. The Seahawks don't have the quality of pass rush + CB play the Bills "could" have. I say "could" because from one week to another you don't know what defense is going to show up. That's not on the players - that's a criticism of the coaches. I think they tend to out think the room instead of letting Pro Bowlers do what they do best.

If you want an interesting blueprint, watch the first half of the October 8, 2007 game vs. the Cowboys. The Bills rolled out a unique defensive look that worked well against the quick throwing Romo.

Undisciplined Bills lose. Disciplined Bills win. It's that simple this year. Bench anyone with a PF in any game going forward. Screw the pushups.

Making the helmets heavier with more padding and protection just means less concussions and more spinal injuries. Much like exploring improvements to modern combat helmets, you must address linear force impacts to the head AND neck.

Dan Carpenter isn't getting cut. Cundiff is here until the leg is 100% healthy. A kicker who's kicking with a bad leg is never going to get healthy. With the absolutely terrible kicking situation league wide this year, Cundiff gets a great opportunity to show what he's got for other teams.

I don't know - the 49ers are a weird tire fire from top to bottom. Could be a case of crap coaching like in Denver. "Peyton, you're a good quarterback from the shotgun but my plan doesn't have shotgun in it, so...."

Bernard Pollard time.

Somebody stated in another post that you can't help but feel there are "higher powers" at play in the modern day NFL. I couldn't agree more and I've had the following conspiracy theory for years. I don't think it's organized crime or the casinos. They've been effectively shut out of this money tree. I think it's the owners and they are ALL in on it and have been since the dawn of free agency. They've been betting on their own games for years and now have an apparatus where they now can do that legally and reap incredible profits to the tune of billions of dollars off legalized gambling. The "it's not gambling" fantasy football is huge business to the tune of over a billion dollars just in it's infancy. I think the owners laid the groundwork for it twenty years ago and for it to make money, the "house" (owners) have to have consistent results. This requires very good teams and very good players and not so good teams and not so good players. Having something like a Cinderella team or a system where very wealthy owners can't buy assets (free agency) is bad for business. Since the owners all make money, and stand to make even more money collectively, they organize themselves into slots - you want to be a great team, you pay X price, a good team, Y price. Want to make money on the cheap, be a crap team. It's like an auction. The trophy goes to the highest bidder. So, for example, not only is it in the best interest of the owners to keep Russell Wilson and the Seahawks putting up fantastic fantasy numbers, it's also that Paul Allen probably paid a lot of money to be a top 5 team. And since we're talking insane amounts of cash, since it's an off the books, non-corporate, untraceable transaction, not every owner is going to be in the conversation. Some owners have enough for a bid or two. That's why Robert Kraft is never sorry for the actions of his team. In his eyes, he's paid for that trophy fair and square. The owners let the coaches coach and the players play. However, the referees, the rules and regulations and even the CBA are designed like bumpers in a bowling alley - to gently nudge to the desired outcome while hiding in plain sight. The same rules keep the offenses pumping out points and the defenses to defend just enough to make it look good. All in all, the NFL is now two private entertainment enterprises - the game on the field and the gambling but don't think for a second the general outcome of the season hasn't already been purchased. So buy your jerseys and enjoy the entertainment, but the real game is a bunch of middle aged men with cash to burn and egos to satisfy.

What bothers me most is that four weeks into the season, the coaching staff has utterly failed to teach and instill discipline into their players. I'm real tired of Jerry Hughes and his personal fouls.

Yay for some action. I don't quite understand black James Bond yet with the boat. I know that the show has to escalate the end of societal order but the way the show portrays both the police and military as a bunch of weak, scared, incompetent individuals bothers me.

Glenn is too heavy and slow IMO for the requirements of a LT. I'm done with the Eric Wood experience. I think an upgrade at Center would do wonders for the performance of the line.

What happened to all the good kickers in the NFL? I wouldn't cut Dan Carpenter but I would give him the time he needs to get the leg healthy. As someone said - he's a great kicker *when* healthy.

The penalties are going to doom this season. It's as simple as that. When the Bills play a clean game, they win. When they don't, they lose.

I like Doug. I think he's good at his job. Wish he handled the FJ situation a lot better than he did. Hope he learns from it.

Jeff Fisher. Big expectations in St. Louis this year and a DESIRE to play in a new stadium. If the season goes down the tubes or it's another 6-10 season, he'll be a Dead Man Walking like Pagano.

"Rest Shady for as long as it takes until he's healthy. If it's one week or 8 weeks, get the guy HEALTHY." +1 I'd shelve him until November 12 against the Jets if need be. I'm not underestimating the defenses of October but I don't think they are so formidable that the other guys couldn't handle them.